"Although we discovered significant improvements are possible from capture up to in-store tank conditions, we are not yet sufficiently satisfied that the process of selling live lobsters is in line with our commitment to humane treatment and quality of life for animals," said Margaret Wittenberg, vice president of quality standards for Whole Foods Market. "At this time, we believe it is too difficult to maintain consistent conditions throughout the entire supply chain to ensure the health and wellbeing of lobsters outside their natural environment for such a long period of time. Many lobsters are held in storage facilities for several months."

Isn’t it a little odd though that they’re concerned with the way lobsters are treated after they are caught but apparently aren’t concerned with the fact that these sentient creatures are cooked by boiling them alive?

I don't find this at all odd. Whole Foods is holding their suppliers to a high standard without passing moral judgement on their customers. If customers see fit to boil lobsters alive, Whole Foods chooses (wisely) not to tread on that choice. They can however, hold their suppliers accountable for how they treat the lobsters as they bring them to market. It's the same idea behind free-range chicken and other similar foods.

I find that this makes sense from a business standpoint and is about as moral a judgement as we can expect corporations to make (as corporations are amoral by their very nature). Ultimately, if people think it is immoral to boil lobsters alive, they must stop eating them. They cannot and should not expect Whole Foods or anyone else to force them to that conclusion.

By Tom Andersen

About Sphere & Tom Andersen

This is a blog about environmental issues in the New York area in general and Long Island Sound in particular. I'm the author of
"This Fine Piece of Water: An Environmental History of Long Island Sound," which came out in 2002. I wrote about the environment and other issues during almost two decades as a newspaper reporter.

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